Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated…much to the chagrin of my detractors 😉

Yes, I am back, after a rather prolonged post-season 15 hiatus. Part of it was due to a hectic year-end at work, part of it was due to other stuff, and part of it had to do with what I’m about to elaborate on in this post. Thanks to everyone who checked in on me on Twitter, and I can assure you I’m back full-time now

Many of you have noticed that I tend to take a bit of a break from Pure after the end of each season – mainly due to the level of burnout we all seem to reach after being in full-on DWTS mode for 3 months straight while we’re covering each season. Generally, I just need a break – some time to appreciate other things in my life besides DWTS – and I’m back after a week or two. This time, though, I had a harder time getting back into the swing of being excited and inspired to write about DWTS – and for awhile, I couldn’t figure out why. Then I had a revelation…

…I HATED THE ALL-STAR SEASON.

There, I said it. I hated the all-star season, and I think it has now surpassed season 9 as my least favorite season of DWTS EVER. Reflecting on this past season, aside from a few standout performances (and all the great interactions I had with Pure readers :-)), I was hard-pressed to really feel nostalgic and pleased about it. In fact, what I tended to remember the most was all the frustration, chaos, and general feelings of “WTF is going on???” that I had while watching and blogging from week to week – and when I really got to thinking about it, I found that there were 5 key problems that left me feeling totally turned-off the all-star season. Without further ado, I give you those reasons… Read more..

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

So many of you brought it to our attention that Donny was asked about doing the all-star season the other day on The Talk, and I was finally able to locate a clip. While he seemed to tend more towards the “no” side (“It’s a lot of work!” and “I have one mirror ball trophy I rub in Marie’s face. Why two???), he did say he’d “love to get that trophy again!”. Video below for those who want to see for themselves…it’s around the 10:00 mark. Notice how Donny looks a bit guilty & fidgety when first asked about it:

So while Donny seems to give the impression of “sounds fun, but I’m super busy”, I wouldn’t necessarily write him off as a no-go for the all-star season. I wouldn’t write Marie off just yet, either. Why, you ask?

Our reader Christy pointed out to us last week that Donny & Marie both appear to have cleared their schedules for the fall, as the last event either of them have listed on their respective websites is a gig in Atlantic City on August 5. After that, they have nothing scheduled until their UK tour in January of next year. Are they allocating time to participate in the all-star season, perhaps?

What about their long-running Vegas show? Well, officially, their show at the Flamingo is contracted through October of this year, so there could be a bit of overlap if they do decide to do the all-star season…but the show is dark on Monday evenings, and having a Vegas show sure didn’t seem to stop Donny during his season on DWTS, as Sharon aptly pointed out on The Talk. And as of right now, you’re only able to purchase tickets for their Vegas show through July 28 on the Flamingo website. Could they be ending their run in Vegas early, and heading for Hollywood to go head-to-head in the all-star season?

I decided to get a bit sneaky and see what I could find out by calling the Flamingo box office. I pretended to be a daughter whose parents were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary and were planning a trip to Vegas, and I wanted to gift them with tickets to the finale of Donny & Marie’s Vegas show in October. The sales rep on the other end of the line, while very friendly, got a bit dodgy with me at that point, and delivered the obligatory “I’m sorry, ma’am, at this time we have only opened ticket sales for shows leading up to July 28. But if you call back in a month or so, we might have tickets available for shows at a later date.” Bah…cop-out. 😛 It could mean nothing – maybe they’re still planning out the last few months of the show’s run. But I thought it was interesting nonetheless, and gave me some food for thought. 😉

So what do you guys think about Donny and/or Marie possibly coming back for the all-star season? Let’s get your thoughts…

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

This is a little later than I originally intended, but alas, life throws us curve balls from time to time As promised, here are my top 5 first week foxtrots in DWTS history…maybe something we’ll see tomorrow night will bump one of these from the list! Or maybe it will make the worst list instead…8O But how ’bout some more foxtrot stats first?

*There is a 5-way tie for the pro that has done the most week 1 foxtrots: Maks, Tony, Jonathan, Edyta, & Mark have all done the foxtrot in the first week 3 times.

*The highest first-week foxtrot score ever given was 27 – it was given to Kristi & Mark in season 6.

*The average score for a week 1 foxtrot is 19.14. The score given most often in week 1? 18.

5.) Helio & Julianne, season 5

I just loved how cute these two were together – it also didn’t hurt that Helio had a good deal of natural talent And in what you’ll see to be a recurring theme in this countdown, it was a very traditional foxtrot, which was comprised mainly of foxtrot steps with a little bit of jazzy open work thrown in. There’s something to be said for staying in the box from time to time, kids!

4.) Laila & Maks, season 4

Another very natural mover – Laila just made everything look so EASY. I think a lot of her appeal in her season was that sense of ease, and it really came in hand in a dance like the foxtrot, where everything is supposed to have a gliding, walk-in-the-park kind of feel. Just the little bit of sass thrown in just made it perfect for week 1. Read more..

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

Yep, we’re back to talk fashion for yet another season’s promo pix And kids, this batch was a bit of a challenge for even me – at least 3 brand-spanking new dresses that weren’t dittoed, some wacky alterations, weird lighting, and the fact that we don’t have pix of Cheryl & Katherine yet made this edition a little less fun and a little more frustrating. But alas, it’s here now, so enjoy! And a very special thanks to our reader Manny, who graciously helped us out with the screen cap of Niecy, since Hulu only has season 13 available to stream and the DWTS website has taken down all of the photos from old seasons…grrrrr. *shakes fist at sky*

Heidi: I know I’m going to disagree with Court on this one – by choosing the photo shoot version. I like the more asymmetrical hem and I like her hair better in that pic. But damn, Kym always looks amazing and she does stick to the similar color pallette much of the time.

Court: Kym has always known what looks good on her (everything) and what doesn’t (not much), but I love how she seems to stick to a lot of nude colors and just lets all the embellishments do the talking. I remember thinking “Wowwwww…that’s soooo sparrrrrkllllllyyyy!” as she walked down the stairs last season in this number. But alas, the magic is a bit lost in the whitewash of the photo shoot – so I’m gonna go with jive Kym on this one

Court: I think this may actually be the very first ditto of a Bristol costume we’ve ever seen! Although if you’ve seen one Bristol ditto, I think you’ve pretty much seen them all, as this girl wore A LOT of black lace in season 11 – a fact that made my searching though her costumes all the more confusing 😛 But anyway…I gotta say, I’m not really wild about this costume on either woman. It just seems kinda…dowdy. But I guess if I had to pick, I’d actually pick Bristol – because I can at least tell it’s a tango costume with the way she’s styled & made up. Martina…just kinda looks like she’s gesturing for no apparent reason. But she looks damn good for her age!

Heidi: I can’t pick…too distracted by Marky’s face in that picture. The hell? Okay, all kidding :::cough::: aside, I have to agree with Courtney. Martina looks fabulous, but Bristol is fully made up for this dress and she wears it pretty well. I will say, very proud of Martina for going with a dress that is probably more daring on the bottom half than I would have expected.

The winner: Bristol takes this one because we can actually tell what she’s doing. Read more..

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

Several of the entertainment shows had DWTS stories that I’ve not previously posted – I’m sure I’ll have more tomorrow too. It never ends. Latest on Derek for those not following on Twitter – Joanna says that Derek wants to dance on Monday, but it’s still very much up in the air, because he’s still sick. I personally think he should take the day off and rest, but he is 24 and male, so what are the odds he’ll listen to me? 😉

E! News from Wednesday, October 14, 2009. There is a second E! News Video at Pure Derek Hough.

Entertainment Tonight pimping Donny Osmond (again), and he talks about his broken toe. Also Mya and Dmitry.

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Yes, yes, yes, I know I already reported on the rumor about Debi Mazar (Entourage) dancing on Season 9. But now, I ain’t the only one, aside from Debi herself, that is. Reality TV Scoop has picked up this story and made it a bit more solid than it was before. Will she join up? Do you want her to?

I do – love her on Entourage. She’ll need a Derek or a Maks- type partner, though, I thinking. And Derek might be too short (and too young), so I’m definitely thinking Maks. A tough talking Jersey girl will definitely be fun to watch with Maks. Speaking of Entourage, what about Jeremy Piven (provided he cuts the sushi) or Adrian Grenier (:::swoon:::)?? Thoughts?? I’ve included pics of the two male Entourage stars below – are there other people you favor for the Cast of Season 9?

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Net [ed. ABC] kicks off the first official night of the 2009-10 season, Sept. 21, with its normal Monday sked: the two-hour premiere of “Dancing With the Stars” and the return of “Castle.”

The following night (Sept. 22), a second two-hour “Dancing” will lead into the launch of frosh skein “The Forgotten.” Regular 8 p.m. entry “Shark Tank” will bow the following week, Sept. 29, when “Dancing” collapses into its usual 9 p.m. results show hour.

A one-time “Dancing” results show will air Sept. 23, leading into the premieres of 9 p.m. comedies…

So…is this a return to Season 7’s format? Women one night, Men the next with the results (double elimination) on Wednesday? Or is it a two dance deal? And what’s with the rumor that the celebs will be limited to 6 hours a day rehearsal time? I haven’t seen a corroborating article supporting that rumor. Has anyone?? Questions, questions…

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

In the interest of keeping up with ALL of the professional dancers from DWTS, I have started a new series. A couple times a week I will post an update of what a given dancer is up to. I’m starting with the easiest pro for me to keep up with – Derek Hough.

Derek is a piece of cake – he’s in the south pacific with his gorgeous girlfriend, Shannon Elizabeth, for a much deserved vacation. To be specific – Bora Bora. Lucky dog. We’ll catch up with Derek again later, once he’s back in the states.

This past weekend, Derek was at the Indy 500 with his band, the Ballas Hough Band. Between the Snakepit Ball, the parade, and the Playboy Party (see picture below), Derek had a full weekend even before he took to the stage with BHB for a post-race concert.

Derek has said that he will be back for Season 9 “as long as they don’t cast all 7′ women”.

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Only a few days out from the finale of Season and, and the rumors and gossip begins to spread as to who will appear on Season 9. I found two such rumors today! One person I’ve never heard of, and one I’ve heard too much of. 😉

So Suge Knight may be showing his dance steps next season ofDancing with the Stars ? That’s what is being reported on MediaTakeOut. The gossip site is reporting that the show’s producers are working to get the Death Row founder, somebody that once scared the hell out of the music industry, into a pair of dance shoes so he can cut the rug with some little white lady. Suge seems interested.